Four Gospel Writers in Revelations

Marcus Grodi, Founder and President of the Coming Home Network, Intl. and host of EWTN's Journey Home, says there are verses in the Bible he never really saw as a Protestant. When he became Catholic, these verses broke through and the full truth of the Catholic faith began to make sense to him

At Mass today, I had one of those "aha" moments. I have seen the artists' renderings of the Gospel writers many times. You can't study at a liberal arts college and escape fine arts class. The four Gospel writers were there in artwork, and now I see them in stained-glass windows. But I never realized that the metaphorical renderings were straight out of the Bible - until today. And as I listened to the reading, I could almost see what is happening in heaven when we stand and sing the Alleluia, when we form a cross on our brow, our lips, our heart as a promise to keep the Gospel in our minds, on our lips, and burning in our hearts.

When we stand and hear the Gospel story, heaven hears and joins in the eternal song.

This from today's Mass reading (note the underlined section).

Revelations 4:1-11
In my vision, I, John, saw a door open in heaven and heard the same voice speaking to me, the voice like a trumpet, saying, ‘Come up here: I will show you what is to come in the future.’ With that, the Spirit possessed me and I saw a throne standing in heaven, and the One who was sitting on the throne, and the Person sitting there looked like a diamond and a ruby. There was a rainbow encircling the throne, and this looked like an emerald. Round the throne in a circle were twenty-four thrones, and on them I saw twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white robes with golden crowns on their heads. Flashes of lightning were coming from the throne, and the sound of peals of thunder, and in front of the throne there were seven flaming lamps burning, the seven Spirits of God. Between the throne and myself was a sea that seemed to be made of glass, like crystal. In the center, grouped round the throne itself, were four animals with many eyes, in front and behind. The first animal was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third animal had a human face, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle. Each of the four animals had six wings and had eyes all the way round as well as inside; and day and night they never stopped singing:


‘Holy, Holy, Holy
is the Lord God, the Almighty;
he was, he is and he is to come.’


Every time the animals glorified and honored and gave thanks to the One sitting on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders prostrated themselves before him to worship the One who lives for ever and ever, and threw down their crowns in front of the throne, saying, ‘You are our Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power, because you made all the universe and it was only by your will that everything was made and exists.’